GILL — Voters defeated a motion to create a new principal assessor role during the second part of Annual Town Meeting Monday night, a proposal that had some town officials feeling caught off guard.

In addition to creating the position, the motion asked the 53 voters in attendance to set the job at a salary of $32.16 per hour by increasing the assessors clerical salary line item by $3,325 on top of the original $6,848 increase that was proposed for that line item in fiscal year 2026. The motion ultimately failed by a majority vote and the original line item was approved, along with the rest of the $5.17 million total budget, which includes a $2.63 million town operating budget and increased education assessments.

Board of Assessors member Tim Storrow spoke to voters about the proposed motion, which was supported by the three-member board. Storrow said the idea of hiring a principal assessor is a year and a half in the works and would benefit the town.

“The reality is that Gill needs to stay competitive in the marketplace for assessing talent, and creating this position will help us do that,” Storrow said, later adding, “In spite of the step increases proposed in this year’s budget, it is our opinion the assessor salaries in Gill are still not competitive with other towns in Franklin County.”

In advocating for the creation of the position, Storrow said the goal of the Board of Assessors is to always be “fair, equitable and accurate,” and by creating a principal assessor role, the town would maintain a local assessor, rather than relying on a regionalized service that also works with other municipalities, possibly delaying service.

Assistant to the Assessors Diane Sumrall, who was in attendance Monday, was often lauded by Storrow, town officials and residents as an experienced town employee. However, Storrow clarified that the Board of Assessors is not having her advocate for the position for herself, nor asking her to take the position.

Storrow said the Board of Assessors had brought this idea of a principal assessor position to budget discussions before and there was an agreement on increasing Sumrall’s pay in her current role as assistant. However, Selectboard member Greg Snedeker said he felt “caught off guard” by the motion.

“I just feel like this wasn’t presented in our budget meeting. I don’t remember this coming up as far as it was presented as a step increase on a grade level. We said we were waiting for the Collins Center study to come in, and that we wouldn’t necessarily take off the table the idea of a principal [assessor] position,” Snedeker said. “It’s just that we’re not there yet and it just feels like it’s being forced upon us right now in an annual meeting.”

Per Snedeker’s recollection, the budget conversations between the Finance Committee and Selectboard recommended increasing Sumrall’s pay, but there was not an agreement on adding a principal assessor job or changing Sumrall’s title to principal assessor, in part because the town is waiting for the Edward J. Collins Jr. Center for Public Management at the University of Massachusetts Boston to finish its wage and classification study before exploring the idea further.

Snedeker shared his concern over the new position being proposed at such a forum, and the precedent it might set for future Annual Town Meetings should a board routinely come to voters wanting to change or add positions, rather than discuss the matter more in-depth in Selectboard, Finance Committee and Personnel Committee meetings as has been done traditionally.

During prolonged discussion by members of the Board of Assessors, other town officials and residents, many supported picking up the discussion outside of Annual Town Meeting to further vet the idea. Some expressed concerns that the Board of Assessors is facing roadblocks on timing and availability to get the proposal fleshed out. The motion to add a principal assessor was ultimately defeated by a voice vote.

Although Board of Assessors member Pamela Lester motioned to enact a Massachusetts General Law that would give further compensation of up to $1,000 for qualified assessors, the motion was declared to be out of order, with Town Administrator Ray Purington citing advice from town counsel that a motion like that should be presented in its own article, allowing for advance notification to voters ahead of Annual Town Meeting.

Other articles

The 10 remaining financial articles presented to voters in the second part of Annual Town Meeting on Monday all passed, with the motion to add the principal assessor position under Article 6 being the only motion to fail.

Voters approved the assessments for the Gill-Montague Regional School District at $1.99 million and Franklin County Technical School at $224,543, transferred free cash into stabilization accounts, and gave their blessing to the wages and salaries of elected and appointed town officials. The meeting adjourned in just over two hours.

Erin-Leigh Hoffman can be reached at ehoffman@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.